Before You Submit

Time and Cost: Drag and drop your STL model into Cura. At the bottom right you will find a fairly accurate estimate of print time and weight which can be used to calculate the cost. multiply the weight in grams by $0.04.

Check Layer View: At the top you'll find a drop down menu. Change that from "Solid View" to "Layer View." A "Color Scheme" box will appear in Layer View, change that to "Line Type" to see the difference between your model and support material. Go through the model in layers by using the slider on the right to ensure your model looks correct. The Layer View shows what the printer will actually print. Often, STL files will look fine in Solid View but print incorrectly which can be seen in Layer View.

Check Print Time: Make sure your print time does not exceed the restrictions listed above

3D Printing Guidelines

Think of 3D printing as a hot glue gun that is controlled by a robot that lays down material one layer at a time and builds upon itself. With this in mind there are a few guidelines to keep in mind before considering 3D printing as a fabrication method.

Overhangs, cantilevers or any unsupported surface will need to have supports printed underneath it. Models with an abundance of negative space will not turn out well.

Models with very small bottom layers have a difficult time adhering to the print surface and have high probability of failure.

Tall thin stand alone walls are difficult to print and are prone to being knocked over during the printing process

3D prints with a lot of empty space will require many supports resulting in long and expensive prints. Consider chopping these types of prints into several parts.

All of our prints are made from PLA plastic which takes sanding and painting well.